1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus and particularly, to a refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus for lifting up a basket for keeping food items therein, which enhances user's convenience.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with the conventional art, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a lower region of a refrigerator for showing a state that a basket is received in a main body.
The conventional refrigerator includes a main body 11 having an opened front side and a receiving space, an upper cooling chamber 21 disposed at an upper side of the main body 11, having a pair of upper (‘French’ style side-by-side) doors 23 respectively opening swingably at both sides, for keeping food items stored therein, and a lower cooling chamber 31 disposed at a lower side of the main body 11, separated by a barrier wall 17 from the upper cooling chamber 21 and having a lower door 33 opening slidably outwardly.
A machine room 13, which includes a compressor 15 and other components for generating cooling fluid supplied to the upper cooling chamber 21 and the lower cooling chamber 31, is installed at a rear portion of the main body 11.
A basket 35 for receiving food items therein is slidably disposed at the lower cooling chamber 31, and the lower door 33 is fixed at the front side of the basket 35. Accordingly, when the lower door 33 is pulled out, the basket 35 is thereby opened, and when the lower door 33 is pushed in, the basket 35 is thereby closed. Here, a guide rail 37 is respectively installed between each of the outer sides of the basket 35 and inner sides of the lower cooling chamber 31 to guide the basket 35 to be slid in the inward/outward directions.
A plurality of drawers 38 for keeping food items therein are provided above the basket 35 so as to be slidingly opened.
In the conventional refrigerator constructed in the aforementioned manner, when a food item kept in the lower cooling chamber 31 needs to be taken out or a food item needs to be put into the lower cooling chamber 31, the lower door 33 is pulled outwardly so that the basket 35 can be slidingly moved and opened. After the food item stored in the basket 35 is taken out or the food item is put into the basket 35, the lower door 33 is pushed inwardly so that the basket 35 can be slidingly closed.
However, the conventional refrigerator having such a structure is disadvantageous in that, because the installation position of the basket is too low, a user must lower his/her posture, that is, for example, the user must bend his/her back or crouch down in order to put in or take out the food items, causing user's inconvenience.